Clickbait at its finest.
This is allowed to use the word. Source: GiPHY
So, as Australians, we can be partial to the odd over-exaggeration.
Guy at Woolies points you where to get the Cadbury? LEGEND.
Got a mate who can drink all night and be up for their shift at 4 am? What a WEAPON.
Told a funny joke? I'm DEAD.
But the word I'm referring to isn't used so much by the common folk. It's found in the media, typically in headlines for clickbait to make you want to find out what it is that was just so, unbelievably, incredibly, crazily....
'Hilarious.'
What's hilarious?
Now, I don't know about you, but I don't throw my hilarity around lightly. Being hilarious takes skill. You can't just be anyone and be hilarious. Hilarity comes with a sense of expectancy of being super, outrageously funny. I am READY TO LAUGH AND IT BETTER HAPPEN or I will be disappointed.
Hilarious makes me think tears in my eyes, crying of laughter, a true comedy great. Liar Liar is hilarious. Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco is hilarious. Donald Trump wanting to run for President again is hilarious (slash terrifying). I also find myself insanely hilarious, although that may be up for debate.
Never not hilarious. Source: GiPHY
But now, being 'hilarious' is everywhere and gets me to click. It works - I click, cos like, I love laughing. Let me laugh! But most of the time, I give a smirk at best, or a Joey Potter irksome half-smile at worst:
I think this is code for Joey laughing hysterically. Source: GiPHY
Case studies
A recent headline said 'Ryan Reynolds trolls wife Blake in hilarious post'. I was like, let me see! Why he so funny? Turns out he said something about making his kid watch Blake Lively's movie The Shallows (about sharks, I guess?) to stop her from loving the song Baby Shark.
Okay? Source: GiPHY
...Cool.
Might have given me a smile if it was my husband saying it privately. It was no Eddie Muprhy RAW, you know?
Fuck, now HE is hilarious. Source: GiPHY
Another article about the 'hilarious' Chrissy Tiegen gave us gems such as:
'I cannot help but think how funny I would be if I knew photoshop.'
Sigh. Source: GiPHY
Fuck guys, get a bucket for my tears of laughter!
It's now having the reverse effect
I'm not trying to say these aren't kinda witty or a bit of fun. Not everything we all type can be gems.
But hilarious they are not. Perhaps use some new adjectives...
Chrissy Teigen tweets about Photoshop
Chrissy Tiegen wishes she could Photoshop
Lol at Chrissy Tiegen wishing she could Photoshop...
(Yes I am available for copywriting services, I know my witty prose must astound you. Enquire within).
They are all okay, but I don't have expectations of my teeth showing when I lol, you know?
Nowadays I see the headline for hilarity and I'm like, meh. The trust is broken. I've been done before, and my belief system in laughing has been shattered. If Jim Carrey or Robin Williams are not involved, I am not interested. It has the reverse effect.
So to the media, I implore you: next time, just post normally. I'll be more likely to click a post entitled, 'Ryan Reynolds shares slightly lame dad joke.'
Legit.
